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Interview: Dan Sadin

Los Angeles-based guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer Dan Sadin’s raw and tender music speaks on many levels. His songs are often an honest exploration of his own life experiences. Dan was born in Chicago but then raised in San Francisco. While in California, Dan majored in studio/jazz guitar along with a minor in songwriting at the University of Southern California. He realized his love for music thanks to the likes of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and many others. For years Dan has been lending his guitar talent to the duo Frenship and has co written/recorded songs for Jessie Ware, Sabrina Claudio, and MØ, but recently he just relaesed his own body of work, his self-titled EP. Dan has been making music for others for so long but it was finally time for him to release his own music. We got to talk with Dan about his new EP and how he feels about releasing his own music as well as a few other things, so keep reading to find out more about Dan and be sure to check out his new EP!

Hey Dan nice to talk with you! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for the readers who may not be familiar with you and your work?

Hey! Sure. I grew up in San Francisco and moved down to Los Angeles for music school and have been rooted here since. I grew up playing piano because of my grandfather, who was a pianist and an arranger for the Chicago swing bands in the 30’s. He passed when I was pretty young and I like to think I’m carrying a bit of his spirit/legacy with me as I’m chasing down this dream. I’ve spent the majority of my career so far playing in bands or supporting other artists on stage. It’s only been recently that I started to create and release my own music, under my own name. I reached a point where I realize I need to create the music that I want to hear, and be the voice that I’m looking for elsewhere.

You recently released your debut EP, how are you feeling now that it’s out in the world for everyone to hear?

Man it’s equal parts exciting and scary! I’ve always played a supporting role in the other projects I’ve been involved in. So there’s always, in effect, been a safety net for me. But this EP is 100% me, there’s nothing and nobody for me to hide behind. I had put off releasing my own music for a long time because I was scared to be this open to rejection and vulnerable. But I think at some point we all have to overcome our fears, the strings that hold us back, if we want to move forward freely and step into our dreams. And so far, the response has been super positive, which has been a really incredible experience.

What was the process like for writing the EP?

I started the first song, “The Way That It Hurts” over 2 years ago and would work on it between breaks on tour with Frenship. Once that song was finished, it kind of laid the blueprint for the rest of the EP. Even though each song is pretty different from the other, I think I had finally found my voice and my process to be able to create my own music. From that point on, it was relatively quick to finish up the other 3 songs. Also, approaching writing this EP was also approaching myself as a person: all of my feelings, my faults, and my successes.

Is there a song on the EP that you would say is your favorite?

I can’t pick favorites. Each song on this EP is different from the other and equally as meaningful to me. In a way, these differences paint a picture of my influences, my feelings, my voice as an artist. I think this is the foundation, the launching point, for this project. All the pieces of where I can go are on this EP. I’m excited to look back at this EP after the next few bodies of work and see where it all was rooted.

How would you describe your music in two words?

I’m a vulnerable avocado (tough skin on the outside, and mushy feelings with a true core on the inside…plus am I a fruit? A vegetable? You decide)

If you could collab with anyone who would it be?

Tom Petty or Mike Campbell. Maybe even Jeff Lynne. If you haven’t guessed yet, Tom Petty is one of my biggest influences

What are your plans for the rest of 2018? touring, more new music?

Yes and yes, haha. I have more shows lined up throughout the summer and will hopefully be touring in the fall and releasing more music along the way!

What’s something you want people to take away from your EP when listening to it?

I hope people will be able to find a part of themselves in these songs. I’m sharing parts of myself that I don’t normally put on view for others. But in doing so, I hope that people can see we’re usually not alone in feeling these things.

Finally, what’s a fun fact about you, or something people may not know about you?